A variety of article carrier assemblies have been developed for transporting articles or large cargo on the exterior surface of a vehicle. Such carriers are typically mounted on an exterior body portion of the vehicle such as the roof or the trunk thereof, and include a pair of side rails fixed to and extending longitudinally of the vehicle. Cross rail assemblies are connected so as to extend laterally between the side rails for supporting cargo placed on the article carrier assembly and also to provide a convenient tie down of the cargo or article to be transported.
Article carrier assemblies have been provided with slidable cross rail assemblies so as to facilitate transporting loads or cargo of different sizes. Typically, the cross rail assemblies are provided with supports at ends thereof which are slidable in a channel defined in each side rail. Latching mechanisms are provided to engage the side rails in a number of positions along the length of the side rails.
It is desirable to lock and release the movable cross rails from only one side of the vehicle since such adjustment can be performed by only one person. U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,198 and WO 94/10007 each discloses a vehicle article carrier having a locking structure which, when an actuator is operated from one side of the vehicle, is locked or unlocked permitting adjustment of the cross rail. However, this type of locking structure requires many interacting components which add to the overall complexity and cost of the article carrier.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide an article carrier that can be operated from one side of a vehicle which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture and maintain.